Outlook The American University of Beirut
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Vol. XLIII, No. 4
Freedom Club Page 5
| Tuesday, Oct 19, 2010 | The Independent Student Publication Since 1949
CNS Explains its Internet Distribution to Students Fouad Badaoui Staff Writer
Phot: Salim Batlouni
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n response to general student dissatisfaction concerning Internet performance at AUB for both academic and recreational usages, Outlook interviewed Rabih Itani, Assistant Director for Operations and Manager of Data Communication Services at The Computer and Networking Services (CNS). The topics of bandwidth allocation, censorship, security and privacy were addressed. However, this article will focus strictly on bandwidth issues, as the first of a two-part exposé. What is bandwidth? While time is measured in seconds, data is fundamentally measured in bits. Hence for bandwidth, which is a measure of the maximum
CNS helpdesk data transfer rate a certain channel can support, we use multiples of bits per second as a unit. One can imagine the channel as a pipe and the bandwidth as the maximum amount of water that
can pass through the pipe in a second. Naturally, increasing the bandwidth decreases the waiting time for a document to transfer making the surfing experience more fluid and more enjoyable. How-
ever, bandwidth can also refer to a quantity of data as in 2GB, which is the monthly bandwidth quota most AUB students are granted. Although important universities are Internet Service
Providers (ISP) themselves, AUB is not. “We don’t have the license,” said Itani, explaining that AUB uses three different ISPs in order to ensure a constant connectivity. The CNS considers the amount of bandwidth purchased by AUB confidential. Similarly, the budget allocated to this effect was not disclosed. Without providing an actual figure, Itani lamented the high cost of bandwidth in Lebanon and told us about a few policies a CNS counsel applies to manage this scarce resource. Among these policies, there is packet shaping. This practice consists of filtering traffic depending on content type and then giving priorities and limits to some of these types. For example, at AUB, file-
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October Special Employment Day
Opportunities Prevail for Lebanese and International Students Alike Mohamad Al Medawar Staff Writer
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INSIDE
n Monday, October 11, 2010, international AUB students gathered in West Hall Auditorium C at 4pm to grasp what could be the opportunity of a lifetime. Mark Haze, a representative from American University in Washington, D.C (AU), came to Lebanon in 2005, during which unfortunate events occurred, and had to leave with no results to speak of. This year, though, he comes bearing good news for students look-
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ing to study at AU. The hall was filled with economics and business students, with some biology premeds, and a few psychology majors. Engineering students left early on after finding out that AU does not have an engineering department. AU, an independent private university, seems to be a center of attraction for international students. The university boasts over 12,000 active students on campus, including both the undergraduate and graduate programs, 60 percent of which are coming from abroad. The university
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offers 54 different subjects, including International Relations, Business Administration, Communication, Psychology, Biology, History, and Justice, Law and Society. What is more interesting is that international students taking part in this exchange program can take any class in any major and will have “wide access to courses,” said Haze, “but can only take 12 credits for a total tuition fee of $6,000 in comparison with $18,000 for U.S students.” He also explained that students attending this university enHonorary Scholarship Recipients
joy “exposure to a wide variety of amazing people,” such as President Obama, who gave an inauguration there recently. Another appealing notion is that over 80 percent of students at AU are taking part in internship programs, assisting participants by providing them with experience in their field of study, allowing them to easily acquire positions in prestigious firms. Moreover, Haze mentioned that Arabs in AU are equally dealt with. In fact, Arabic is the third most popular language to learn and speak at
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AU, following Spanish and French. Students are also encouraged to take part in community service and to get involved with extracurricular activities. As for living expenses and accommodations, the university provides dormitories with small-sized rooms and laundry services. However, the fee per semester is about $1,400, whereas off-campus, prices range between $700$1300 in a secure neighborhood with ample security.
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